A comparative study on family functioning and socialization processes of Turkish youth living in Türkiye and Europen Union countries

The purpose of this study is to compare and examine the family functionality and socialization processes of Turkish youth living in Türkiye and European Union countries. Additionally, the relationships between family functionality, social connectedness, prosocial and antisocial behaviors were examined using a structural equation model. The research sample, based on a relational model, consisted of 424 Turkish youths aged between 18 and 25. The Turkish sample included 217 individuals who were born and raised in Turkey, while the European sample included 207 individuals who were born and raised in European Union countries. Data was collected using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale-IV, Social Connectedness Scale, Adult Prosociality Scale, and Risky Behaviors Scale-Antisocial Behaviors Subscale. According to the results, prosocial and antisocial behaviors differed by gender in the total sample, with females having higher levels of prosocial behavior and males having higher levels of antisocial behavior. When the samples were examined separately, these findings were supported in the Turkish sample, but there was no significant gender difference in the European sample. When gender differences were compared between samples, the level of family cohesion was higher among males in the European sample compared to males in the Turkish sample, and the highest score for antisocial behavior and the lowest score for prosocial behavior was found among males living in Turkey. Turkish females and European males did not significantly differ in the relevant variables. Additionally, when the study variables were compared between the Turkish and European samples, family cohesion, family flexibility, and rigidity levels were found to be significantly higher in the European sample with regard to family functionality, and the level of prosocial behavior was significantly higher in the European sample with regard to socialization. Furthermore, based on the relationships between variables, hypotheses were confirmed that family functionality would positively predict social connectedness and prosocial behavior, and negatively predict antisocial behavior. Additionally, in the relationship between family functionality and prosocial behavior, social connectedness and antisocial behavior played a partial mediating role. Moreover, the regulatory role of culture in the relationships between variables was examined, and no significant differences were observed between Turkish youth living in Turkey and those living in European Union countries.